


You Wish

by Talonwillow (TalonWillow)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Princess Bride - William Goldman
Genre: Chases, Dementors, Dueling, F/M, Giants, Inspired by Princess Bride, Miracles, Revenge, Story within a Story, Torture, True Love, True Love's Kiss
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:54:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27029935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TalonWillow/pseuds/Talonwillow
Summary: What makes a bad case of "Black Cat Flu" more tolerable? Young Perseus is learning that hearing about dueling, torture, revenge, giants, dementors, chases, true love, and miracles from his Grandfather Scorpius certainly makes things easier- If the man would finish the story that is.A story about love, where not even death can keep the beautiful feisty stable-girl and her sometimes irritating one true love apart. Together they must battle the evil Lord Voldemort through an adventure crossing the magical and fairy tale realm.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 9
Kudos: 15
Collections: Dramione RomCom Fest





	You Wish

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [DramioneRomComFest](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/DramioneRomComFest) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> The Princess Bride (1987) - claimed by Talonwillow
> 
> I can not express how grateful I truly am to my amazing Alpha/Beta/Cheerleader, EmotionalSupportHufflepuff. Thank you for your patience and for helping me get this story out. 
> 
> This is the retelling of the Princess Bride but "Potterfied". It will be about 5 chapters and I will be updating about 1x a week. 
> 
> I know that this is a classic tale and really hope that I am doing it justice. At the end of the day though, it is just for fun and an interpretation of what my mind has been urging me to get out for some time.
> 
> I am so thankful to the host for having this as a "romCom" option, I truly see it as one of the greatest love stories ever told. 
> 
> Now, sit down, ill humor you, and let me tell you the story...

It’s not every day you got to skive off of school.

Eleven-year-old Perseus was not about to let this day go to waste. He had asked his house-elf to bring him a vast assortment of finger foods and a jug of pumpkin juice from the kitchens. He was now ready to get his newest video game out and spend the entire day lost in the virtual realm. 

"Excuse me, young master Perseus." Dinky interrupted his musing. He would never get used to how the old house-elf could pop in and out of existence like that. "But, you have a visitor." 

"A visitor?" Perseus's plans did not include sharing his snacks and game-time with a visitor. "Maybe it's Monty?" He uttered to himself- if anyone were to interrupt his sick day, hopefully, it was his best friend.

"No, not Monty," Dinky said with a hint of disdain. "It is your grandfather. I will show him in." 

"Ughh, why him?" 

Perseus had no desire to see his grandfather right now. He had the most horrible habit of pinching his cheeks. 

The door shot open, banging against the wall, and his Grandfather Scorpius came sweeping in a preposterously dramatic fashion. "How is my favorite Grandson?" He all but yelled his greeting while he went to tweak at Perseus's flushed cheeks. "Don't tell your brother I said that, though, ok." 

"Hey, Grandpa Scorp." The young boy said with a pitiful down-turned face. There was always the hope that his grandfather was just there for a simple hello, and goodbye, and he would be on his way if he saw that the boy needed his rest.

He wasn't so lucky. 

The well-dressed man took his bespoke outer robes off and used his wand to fly it onto the hook on the back of the door. "Your mother had owled me earlier and told me how you have come down with a case of the Black Cat Flu. I figured you must be dreadfully bored and have nothing to do so...", He made himself comfortable on the winged-back chair close to the bed, "That, my dear boy, is why I am here. I am going to read you a book."

"A Book?" Perseus trained his eyebrow up. Did his grandfather think he was 5? 

  
  


"Yes, Pers a book. It's these rigid things with parchment in the middle with words scribbled throughout. Don't let your great-grandmother hear your confusion on what one is; she is obsessed with them." The man held the weather-worn book up, presenting it towards the boy displaying the different parts. He then seized it tight to his chest in an intimate sort of way. "This is no ordinary book, though. My grandfather Lucius used to read it to me when I was sick, and I used to read it to your father. And now, I have the honor of being able to read it to you." 

Perseus stared, with a confused look towards his elder before quickly noting, "I know what a book is. I just didn't know that was something old people still did. You know, read to their grandkids."

The still blonde and relatively young-looking 70-year-old man scrutinized his grandchild in mock insult. "Hey, I'm not that old..." he then wagged his eyebrows and quirked his lip. "...At least Grandma Rose doesn't think I'm too old." 

"That's disgusting," Perseus reacted under his breath, then added a little louder. "Has it got any quidditch in it?"

"Alas, I'm afraid there is no quidditch. But, there is dueling, torture, revenge, giants, dementors, chases, true love, miracles…"

  
  


Even though it didn't sound as fun as getting to the next level of his video game, Perseus figured he should humor the old man. After all, it may pan out for him when his birthday rolls around again."Fine, I guess. I mean, it can't be any more boring than sitting in Binn's class." 

Scorpius looked down at the Hogwarts 1st year, "Is he really still teaching?" he murmured more to himself than to anyone else. "Yes, well, so glad to have your vote of confidence. It's quite overwhelming." 

Perseus grabbed a cauldron cake from the assortment on his bedside table before tossing another one to his grandfather's waiting hand. He then settled down into his warm blankets, ready for what he thought would be a quick and dull story. 

The tale started the same way that most accounts began. 

Once upon a time, in a magical place far, far away, there was a prince. He was the most handsome Prince in all the land. His name was Draco. From an early age, the young Prince used to enjoy irritating their families stable-girl, Hermione Granger. 

"Granger, I want my saddle polished. If it's not done correctly, my father will hear about it." He would taunt. The feisty stable girl would always respond to his bullying with a cheeky "you Wish, Ferret" before wandering off to perform some other chore more significant. 

It had been thrust on her for so long that she was just a stable-girl, a nobody, born of muggle heritage that the intelligent girl had come, over time, to accept her fate. However, she would not allow those that thought themselves better than she was to walk all over her- including the very handsome and sometimes charming young Prince. 

As the Prince got older and the stable-girl became more beautiful, he realized he had fallen for her and her headstrong, brave spirit. Hermione, too, had somehow seen through his childish ways to the self-reliant and determined man beneath. She had fallen for him as well. Draco began to suspect that every time she said, "you wish," that was her way of saying, "I love you too." 

  
  


One day, while sharing a true-love's kiss in the stables, they were caught by none other than Draco's oppressive father. Completely vexed and ashamed at how Draco could bring dishonor to the family by falling in love with a simple non-magical girl. The King sold the girl to the highest bidder, a noble at Durmstrang Castle in Bulgaria. 

To add insult to the misery of losing his true love, Draco received word that the ship Hermione was aboard had been attacked by the Dread Pirate Moody. The pirate was notorious for leaving no victims alive. Draco had no choice left but to mourn her death. She, the only real bright spot in his life, was gone. That day he vowed never to be happy or love again. 

Five years passed, and Draco's father saw how Hermione's death had turned the young man's heart cold. He ruled that their families' views would line up nicely with the Pureblood-Only rhetoric that the Dark Lord Voldemort had been teaching throughout the land. Severus Snape, a powerful Sorcerer and Lord Voldemort's right-hand man, had been trying for some time to persuade the King to order the young Prince to join his ranks. He felt that Draco would then be a prime example of what a real Pureblood death eater should look like. 

Draco accepted the order with no real fight; the fight in him died the same time Hermione had. He would go and receive the dark mark and become a death eater. 

* * *

The night before he was supposed to leave for Hogwarts Castle with Severus Snape, Draco went for a long ride along the remote northern English countryside. The pain of being close to the animals that Hermione loved so dearly had lessened over the years. The riding helped clear his mind of the inner turmoil over his duty to his family and going against everything Hermione and her short life stood for. 

"Excuse me, m' lord," came the creamlike voice of a dark-skinned man, who looked to be of Sicilian descent. "I am but a poor magician looking for work. Are there any villages or hamlets nearby?" 

Prince Draco, astride his large horse, looked at the relatively harmless-looking and well-dressed man before shaking his head in reply. "Why on earth would you come here if you were looking for work? There is nothing close by for miles."

Draco caught sight of movement from his peripheral vision. Another stranger stalked out from the tree he had been hiding behind. This man had an odd scar hidden beneath the dark fringe across his forehead. Sensing the likelihood of a threat, Draco went to brandish his wand. Before his arm made it to his wand holster, the man had cast an  _ Expelliarmus _ in his direction. Draco's only real line of protection was pulled from his person to land in the scarred man's outstretched hand. 

"How fortunate for us..." Declared the smirking Sicilian, "No one will be able to hear your shouts." 

Another newcomer, this one a half-giant, with a full, thick beard and unruly hair, came up to the side of Draco's horse. He grabbed at its reigns to keep it from running while also casting a strange how-do-you-do kind of smile. 

Draco looked around him, expecting to see additional hidden figures move from their hiding spots before the Sicilian's words caught up with him.

"Wait. What?"

_ "Crucio.. _ ." 

As the words left the dark-skinned man's mouth, and the spell propelled forward from his wand tip, Draco fell from his horse to the forest floor- writhing in agony as the other two strangers looked on. 

"Zabini, are you mad?" Draco overheard someone yell, although just barely amongst the screaming inside his head as the energy coursed violently through his body. "You can't use an unforgivable on an unarmed person."

"What do you care, Potter?" The spell casting man named Zabini clapped back at the scarred man. "What happens to him should be of no concern to you."

"Ease up on him, would you." Potter, as Draco had heard him called, was actually coming to his aid. He would have to investigate that more later when the pain wasn't overwhelming him. "I just don't think it's right that you are hurting an innocent man." 

Zabini halted his attack, giving Draco a moment to attempt to catch his breath. "I'm sorry, but it sounds as though you uttered the word 'think.' Well, Potter, I'm not paying you to think, now am I... Last I knew you are only here so you can earn enough galleons for fire-whiskey..."

"Don't you talk to 'Arry like that?" The giant stepped forward and frowned at the leader of their rag-tag gang. 

"And just what are YOU going to do about it? Brainless, helpless, and desperate, Hagrid!" Zabini challenged the giant as he turned his wand onto the huge lackey. "Do you want me to send you back to where I found you- Romania, with the other giants? Oh, that's right. They don't take too kindly to half-giants now, do they?" 

Draco could discern that Zabini presumed he had garnered the other two's compliance. But their postures and guarded stances said otherwise. 

"Now, bind the hapless fool, and let's be on our way. We have a war to amass." Zabini shot the order out while he started to search Draco's saddlebags, clearly looking for anything that could be of use. 

Potter shuffled over to Draco's still contorting body. He peered down over him with a mixture of contempt and something akin to pity. Just as Draco felt the ability to speak return, and the desire to say quite a bit, Potter cast a wordless  _ Silencio _ and  _ Incarcerous _ charm on him with ease. 

"Now 'Arry, I wouldn't fret about that arrogant ass. He's probably just bound up and needs to ..." The giant Hagrid, who had come over to assist his friend, stopped to think of his next word carefully. "...pass gas."

"True, very true Hagrid," Potter gave out a small laugh. Hagrid then picked Draco up like a sack of wheat and not the strong, tall grown man he was. "But I am no one's little lap dog." 

Harry Potter continued. "What Zabini doesn't realize is that I am only working for him because I'm sure he can lead me to You-know-who's hideout. Then I will kill the man who killed my parents." He studied Draco in Hagrid's arms with that scorn-pity mixture again. He could only assume he was trying to gauge if he was saying too much. Although Draco thought that perhaps the man did not care who knew of his revenge plans, for he had learned early on, when someone has a score to settle, they often don't care if there are spectators. Harry snickered again and said with a nod towards Zabini, "For one who dresses so fancy, he sure has no..." 

"...Class." He added with a conspiratorial wink.

"Aye. And while the git thinks he has charm, he's still rather...crass." 

The large belly upon which Draco was cradled into shook as the big man laughed at his own quick-wittedness. 

  
  


"Are you two done yet? We have a long journey before we get to the Scottish highlands." Riding atop of Draco's large horse, Zabini glanced back at the two grinning companions. Then with a shake of his head, he added. " What idiots." 

Having to stop to concentrate on his next words, the proverbial  _ Lumos _ went off above Harry’s head. "At least we are not Perfidious." 

* * *

After about two days of traveling and Zabini consenting to let Harry ride the horse as long as there were no more attempts to "out-rhyme" each other. They made their way into the Scottish Highlands.

During their trek, the smooth-talking Sicilian had imbibed more than his fair share of ale. Amid these more talkative moments, all Draco could do was sit back and watch- piecing together the plan that Zabini clearly thought was brilliant.

A while back, Blaise Zabini- a known death eater, had informed his master that Severus Snape, whom he believed to be his most trusted lieutenant, had been led astray. Zabini feared that he was trying to win the King's son's favor, and then together, they would endeavor to double-cross the Dark Lord. Draco could tell Zabini coveted the position that Severus held inside the ranks. 

  
  


Voldemort had ordered Zabini to stage the kidnapping to test Severus' loyalty. Draco was all but sure it was also to gauge his motivations towards their cause. He even guessed that there was also the hope it would spark a rivalry between Severus and the King. Once his father learned that he had been put in harm's way, tensions were sure to fly. The "War" Zabini spoke about initially was starting to make more and more sense. 

The other traveling companions' motives could not be more different. Draco got the impression that Harry Potter wasn't even in it for the money. He was simply using Zabini to locate The Dark Lord, whom he blamed for his parents' death. And as for the giant, There was no allegiance what-so-ever to Zabini. It seemed like his only mission was to help Harry with whatever he may need.

Hearing what he had about the Dark Lord and his Pure-Blood agenda, Draco knew he needed to get away. After his True Love had died, he did not care what happened to him. Joining in with Severus to serve the Dark Lord sounded good enough of existence than any. But the more he understood, the more he realized how it marred Hermione's memory. The Dark Lord wanted one thing Pure-Blood Supremacy- he wanted rights taken away from every muggle and muggle-born. It was that kind of tyrannical rule that had gotten her sent away and killed in the first place.

Hermione had always been intelligent and had a sharp wit about her in any situation she faced. Draco knew he would have to think like her if he would come out of this on the other side. But he was so unlike her, where she was headstrong and stood up for what she believed in, Draco had just gone along with everything. How is it, someone so loving and gracious as she would fall for someone as loathsome and foul as he? 

He would do this for her memory. 

They had transferred to a small fishing vessel and were now traversing over the expansive Black Lake. As Zabini and Potter were busy quarreling over the sudden presence of another boat, he knew now was the moment. Draco made several motions and head gestures to gain the giant's attention, making it look like he needed to take care of necessities. The rather kindly giant blushed before quickly undoing the spell keeping him bound.

As soon as the magic was relinquished, Draco took his chance. He dove into the icy cold water as a rush of fear ran through him as he realized this idea might not have been the most thought out plan. He took in a deep breath, the freezing waters stinging him and making his muscles seize. 

He had to try at least; that's what Hermione would do. 

"Prince Draco, I'm not sure if you are aware or not, but the Black Lake is quite famous. Well amongst water enthusiasts, that is..." Zabini exclaimed out into the predawn darkness, making no effort at acting concerned that Draco was making an escape attempt. 

Draco struggled to remain afloat. The cold made it so hard though, he looked over to a large cliff face quite some ways away and thought that _ if only I could swim to the cliff, I could climb it. _ That's when he felt the first brush of something against his leg. Startled, he looked around, but in the darkness saw nothing. 

"So these water enthusiasts or Aquaphiles, simply love the Black Lake. Not because of it's vastness or it's numerous species that call it's depth's home- to which there are many." Zabini was so engrossed with his storytelling and was paying no attention to Draco's frantic treading of water. Even though his skin felt like a fragmented crystal, he could feel the pressure of what seemed like an arm that had a  hold on his leg and was starting to tug in a downward motion.

"Draco, they just love this lake because it is home to the giant squid." Zabini finally looked over into the water at Draco's flailing arms. His eyes shot up in mock outcry as Harry and Hagrid were attempting to row the boat in a syncopated rhythm that would get the small vessel close enough to Draco. "Oh, I see you've just met this giant squid. Lucky you. Some people live their entire lives trying to see it, and here you are about to get pulled under and devoured by it..."

"Help me, you idiots." Draco attempted to scream through his panic. 

"Hagrid, no my left, not your left. That's right. No, left not right." Hagrid and Harry's desperate efforts to right the boat just clashed with Zabini's aloofness. 

Draco could feel his body giving up as the tentacles started to pull with a little more force than the gentle tug it was trying earlier. "Your p...p...recious Dark lord will be quite upset should you l...l...let his bargaining chip be eaten." Draco managed to get out just before the giant squid pulled him beneath the black waters. 

As soon as he realized that it wouldn't be that bad should he only succumb to the sweet arms of death that were embracing him (at least he would reunite with his love). He felt his almost frozen body catapulted out of the water and back into the waiting boat. 

  
  


"He doesn't die, you know." Grandpa Scorpius' explanation caught Perseus off guard. 

"What?" The boy shook his head, wondering why his grandfather had chosen now to interrupt the story when it was getting so good. 

"The giant squid didn't eat him...Prince Draco, I mean. Nor does he die of Hypothermia..." The older man just ogled at his grandson, looking for some sign of either duress or acceptance. "I'm only explaining this to you because you look scared." 

"I wasn't scared." Perseus insisted defensively before he realized, Ok, yes. He was a little scared. 

He had only been going to Hogwarts for a little under six months now, but he was no stranger to the mysterious castle or its surrounding lake. He knew that no harm had come to a student from the giant squid in recent history. Yet, he didn't know if, in this historical account, it was the same kind of giant squid that patrolled the perimeter of the castle. 

"No, see, I'm a little concerned, that's all." He tried to calm the rising lump in his throat. Wasn't he supposed to have been tired by now? There were so many questions he had. He needed to know more about what happened. "Yeah, I'm just a little concerned about what's going to happen when Severus' men catch up with them. That is who is on the other boat on the lake, right... I mean, Draco’s not really planning on taking the Dark Mark, right. He’s gonna get away, right?"

  
  


Scorpius flapped his hands at his grandson in an almost condescending but trying to be calming motion. "Yes, yes, you are brilliant. Now, are you going to let me read the story or what? 

Perseus looked down, embarrassed that he was letting the story influence him so much. "Sorry, please continue." 

"Aha..." His grandfather licked at his thumb pointlessly as he found his spot on the page. "Prince Draco, I'm not sure if you are aware or not, but the Black Lake is quite famous. Well amongst..." 

"Grandfather, you have read that part already." He was looking to his elder with concern in his eyes. But he wanted him to get this correct. He needed to know what happened. "Are you sure you are not getting too old?"

  
  


"Merlin, your right. Ok, let's see. Where was I..."

  
  


TO BE CONTINUED…


End file.
